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Harry Potter Resources and Theories

Townhall.com has published my article/review, Harry Potter and the Charmed Christians. (The typo in "HogwartsProfessor.com" will be fixed.) I didn't know it would be up so soon (last night), so I'll spend the next hour or so this morning filling this post with my theories about the series, and links to articles and other resources.

If you're a Christian and object to reading Harry Potter, please refrain from commenting. This thread is for Christians and non-Christians who have read the books. If you're compelled to preach and just can't hold it in, please e-mail me.

I'll briefly discuss some of my views on Book 6. They could fill this whole blog, but I'll try to contain them. Those who haven't read the series, including Book 6, or haven't seen the movies will have no idea what I'm talking about. The post is written mainly to fans, so I won't go into detail explaining certain things.

First, the title of the book should tip you off as to who/what is most important now that we're nearing the end of the series. We know the Half-Blood Prince is Professor Severus Snape. So through most of the book, Harry was emulating a man he despised, a man who helped him excel (indirectly) in potions class, a class normally unpleasant for Harry. Snape is important in this book for so many reasons, and one of them is the fact that he killed the beloved headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

Although Snape seemed to play a more prominent role in Order of the Phoenix, his role in Book 6, though less prominent, is much more important. We learn that he's a half-blood; that is, his pure-blood mother married a Muggle (non-magical person). He finally became the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, his dream. I can write about the implications of these two things all day, but I won't.

The most important Snape-related event was the Unbreakable Vow he made with Narcissa Malfoy. Many theorize that the vow was to kill Dumbledore if her son wasn't able to, so that Lord Voldemort wouldn't kill the 16-year-old Draco if he failed. I buy that, as most readers probably do. But let's skip ahead.

It seems clear to me that Snape was a spy for Dumbledore, and he killed his trusting friend as part of his continuing role as a spy. That's the most common belief among fans.

Second, Snape's act brings us to a point where many disagree. I am firmly in the Dumbledore-is-dead-and-not-coming-back camp. But here's a theory that's probably not too common: Dumbledore didn't "die" at the end of Book 6. He was dead before Book 6 began.

It's here that we come full circle with Snape and why I think he holds an important key to the whole mystery. In Book 1, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling dedicated a chapter to "The Potions Master." She did an excellent job establishing his character as rude, mean, and generally nasty. One of the intriguing things about these books is that Rowling mapped out the whole series, roughly, from the start, so everything is important, no matter how seemingly trivial.

The scene where Snape asks Harry questions about obscure potion ingredients that he can't answer appears, on its face, to be a sadistic exercise in humiliation, but I think the scene means much more than that. I believe Snape is trying to find out whether Harry is as talented in potion making as his mother was. That may not seem important, but at this point we still don't the nature of Snape's relationship with the late Lily Potter (Was he in love with her?) or whether he was present when she was killed protecting her son.

I could spend all day talking about that, too, but I'll let you theorize in the comment section. The most important part of the scene is Snape's monologue about the power of potion making. He seemed enthralled by his own words. Before I get to those, let's skip ahead a bit. He asks Harry what you'd get if you added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood, where you'd find a bezoar (a stone from the stomach of a goat), and the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane. While each question is important, I will focus on the bezoar.

As readers know, a bezoar was featured prominently in Book 6. Earlier that year in potions class after he saw a reference to bezoars in the HBP's old book, Harry remembered what Snape said about bezoars several years before: they will save you from most poisons. Harry remembered this information in class and when his best friend Ron was poisoned. That should've tipped us off that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince and, therefore, very important in Book 6. Rowling referred back to that conversation in Book 1 for a reason.

Let's back up to Snape's monologue just before he focuses on Harry. Snape says:

You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach. - Book 1, pages 136-137

At first reading, it sounds interesting but unimportant, but it leads us back to Dumbledore. As I stated earlier, I believe Dumbledore was already dead at the beginning of Book 6 because of this:

I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death.

Rowling's books are filled to the brim with subtle clues. At the beginning of Book 6, we learn that Dumbledore was injured dealing with a cursed ring, a horcrux (an object where a person conceals part of his soul), which blackened his hand. His hand looked dead because it was. In fact, so was he. I believe Dumbledore was fatally injured but somehow managed to live long enough to get to Snape. In order to continue guiding and training Harry in his ultimate task — to hunt down the rest of the horcruxes and battle Voldemort — he needed more time. So Snape, "The Potions Master," mixed a concoction that would "stopper" Dumbledore's death. I repeat: Rowling referred back to that conversation in Book 1 for a reason (several, actually).

In other words, Dumbledore was a walking dead man. I'd read this theory on one of the many fan sites, and it made perfect sense to me, so much so, that I was creeped out by it. We all knew a major character would die in Book 6, but look what Rowling has done: the character was already dead at the beginning of the book! The tragic scene at the end was all part of an act set up by Snape and Dumbledore, which brings us to the end of the book.

We know with 99.9 percent certainty that Dumbledore wasn't afraid of death, so when he said "please" to Snape as he stood defenseless, I knew instinctively he wasn't begging Snape to spare him. Let's finish Dumbledore's sentence: "Severus…Severus…please…do what you promised. Kill me."

So, what does it all mean? That Snape had to do something he hated: "kill" Dumbledore, although Dumbledore was already dead/dying. The point is that no one else knew about his putting a stopper on the headmaster's death. Snape had to do what he did in front of the Death Eaters (and Harry) in order to continue "spying" for the Order of the Phoenix (although the members don't know it) and because he'd promised Dumbledore that when the time came, he would.

I believe Snape will be the sacrificial lamb in Book 7. It will be revealed that he is indeed a "good guy" and will prove crucial in defeating Voldemort.

On a side note, I don't think R.A.B. is Regulus Black. Rowling wouldn't make it that easy. I think R.A.B. are three individuals or Snape himself.

Those are my theories. There are many, many other clues to dissect and points to discuss, but for the sake of brevity, I'll stop. I look forward to reading your theories.

Christians, how do you handle objections to Christians reading the books?

Update: My thoughts on R.A.B. from the comment section:

Regulus Black as R.A.B.? In Order of the Phoenix we learned he was only 19 when he died and wasn’t a talented wizard. How could someone so young and mediocre mastermind his way into that cave, make it pass the traps, and steal the horcrux? What about that potion in the basin? Who else but a great wizard/witch and potions master could figure out how to get around it without getting himself killed?

Nope, J.K.R. is trying to get us to look in the wrong direction.

Regarding certain references I made in the comment section, here are links to interviews with JKR verifying the notebooks filled with backstory and series being plotted out from the beginning claims.

More evidence for my Dumbledore-was-already-dead theory: As Draco prepares to kill his headmaster at the end of Book 6, Dumbledore tries to convince Draco that he can protect him and his family from Voldemort if he refused to carry out the Dark Lord's mission. Draco doesn't believe him, but Dumbledore says, "He cannot kill you if you're already dead." (Book 6, p. 591)

This has a double meaning: 1) It implies that Dumbledore must have faked people's deaths before to protect them from Voldemort (Regulus Black?); and 2) Major hint from JKR: Snape didn't kill Dumbledore because he was "already dead."